Ambition without focus is expensive. Nowhere is this more visible than in a life science venture (and this is as true for Biotech as it is for TechBio or medical devices), where the science progresses, the technology scales, but the product-market fit and business readiness level lag behind.

This is precisely where you get into trouble. Too often, one falls in love with a modality, a platform, or a technological breakthrough, before asking the only question that matters: is there a patient? In 5-7 years’ time ,will we be first-in-class or best-in-class? If these questions are not answered early and forcefully, the entire innovation stack risks accelerating in the wrong direction.

Sven Fraterman, Partner at BCG and lead of its Center for Oncology Insights, will examine how CEOs can use Target Product Profiles (TPPs) as a strategic instrument, not just a regulatory template, to anchor their organizations around real patient need, commercial viability, and enterprise-wide focus.

Sven Fraterman, PhD - Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group

Sven is a scientist by training, with a PhD from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). At BCG, he leads the firm's work in oncology insights and has worked with biotech companies of all sizes, across stages. His specialty is product and portfolio strategy in oncology, immunology, metabolism, and rare diseases.

He has personally developed over 100 Target Product Profiles (TPPs), from preclinical through registration phases. His clients span large pharmas and mid-sized biotechs, where he’s supported:

• Due diligences of clinical-stage assets

• R&D and commercial model redesigns

• Portfolio prioritization and market-entry strategy

Prior to BCG, he held leadership roles at Boehringer Ingelheim and Sandoz, including Head of Hospital, Oncology and Biosimilars at Sandoz Switzerland.

This blend of scientific depth and commercialization expertise makes Sven uniquely positioned to help you sharpen how they define, test, and evolve the core of your product strategies.

Why This Is Relevant for You

Techbio ventures, especially those rooted in AI, cell engineering, or next-gen modalities, carry outsized platform optionality but often lack an clear product-market fit. Early-stage companies that fail to define patient-centric Target Product Profiles tend to suffer from misaligned trade-offs, misprioritized investments, and delayed inflection points.

Best-in-class TPPs are not static documents. They’re cross-functional, dynamic tools,  anchored in a “North Star” view of patient relevance. When used well, they improve everything downstream: clinical development, access, speed to approval, and even capital formation.

Sven will share how a founder can lead the TPP process themselves. He’ll show how to frame unmet need rigorously, avoid early over-specification, and pressure-test viability with commercial and clinical realism. This is strategy through the lens of the patient, not the technology.

Questions to Consider Before the Session

• Does my promise translate into a patient outcome we can quantify, defend, and differentiate?

• Have we defined “minimum viable” and “North Star” TPP thresholds and are we building toward them?

• What would it take to kill our lead program today and are we brave enough to name it?

• Are our investment and hiring decisions aligned with the critical path to patient value?